Dynamics of nasal eosinophils in response to a nonnatural allergen challenge in patients with allergic rhinitis and control subjects: A biopsy and brush study1 (original) (raw)
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Clinical <html_ent glyph="@amp;" ascii="&"/> Experimental Allergy, 1990
It has been suggested that the eosinophilic granulocyte plays a crucial role in the genesis of increased reactivity of the airways. In order to characterize changes in non-specific reactivity in the upper airways following a nasal allergen challenge further 16 subjects with strictly seasonal allergic rhinitis were studied. They were challenged with allergen outside the relevant pollen season and monitored at intervals for a period of 24 hr for nasal symptoms, changes in nasal reactivity, eosinophil influx and activation, and markers of inflammation. The same challenge sequence without an initial allergen challenge was used as a control. A symptom score technique was used to record nasal symptoms and methacholine challenges were used to monitor changes in non-specific reaetivity. A nasal lavage was made prior to each methacholine challenge to monitor the influx of cells, specifically eosinophils, and to determine changes in the levels of eosinophi! cationic protein (ECP) and TAME-esterase activity. Cells from the mucosal surface were also collected with a Rhinobrush® prior to the allergen challenge as well as at the 24-hr follow up. The allergen challenge induced a five-fold increase in non-specific nasal reactivity, as measured by the methacholine challenges, at the 2-hr follow up from 0051 ml±OOI2 (mean±s.e.m.) to 0255 + 0062 (,P<00]) and a significant increase was also noted at all observation points, whereas no increases could be observed in the control setting. With a similar timing the allergen challenge also induced an increase in the proportion of eosinophils on the mucosal surface from an initial 0-8 ±0-4% to 6-2±21% of the cells as early as 2 hrs later (/*<005). A significant correlation was foundbetween the levels ofECP and eosinophils in the lavage fluid {/'^O 64, /*<() 001) and between the levels of ECP and TAM E esterase {r = 0 43, Z' < 0-01). No correlations were, however, disclosed between the increases in non-specific nasal reaetivity and the number of eosinophils (regardless of the cell-harvesting technique) or ECP levels at any of the observed time points. It is therefore suggested that the allergen-induced change in non-specific nasal reactivity is a complex phenomenon rather than just the recruitment and activation of eosinophilic granulocytcs in the nasal cavity.
Modulatory role of eosinophils in allergic inflammation: new evidence for a rather outdated concept
Memórias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz, 1997
The eosinophilic response has been identified as a key alteration in the pathogenesis of asthma and other allergic diseases. A close-correlation between disease severity and eosinophilia, and the eosinophil ability to provide toxic and pro-inflammatory agents are the major elements supporting the interpretation that there is indeed a causal relationship between these phenomena. Nevertheless, controversy still persists since some studies have clearly demonstrated that eosinophil infiltration is not necessarily accompanied by tissue damage or hyperresponsiveness. In addition, there are some examples in the literature in which such alterations are not modified following abrogation of eosinophil influx. In this review it will be argued, based on a model of IgE-dependent pleurisy, that eosinophil infiltration can be associated with down-regulation of allergic inflammatory response. The potential mechanism by which eosinophils could be acting as a immunomodulatory cells in this particular system will also be assessed.
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1992
An allergen challenge was pet$ormed in 10 asymptomatic patients with strictly seasonal allergic rhinitis. For comparison; seven nonallergic subjects were challenged with allergen, and seven allergic patients were challenged with diluent. Cell samples, obtained with use of a brush technique to recover cells from within the epithelium and nasal lavage to collect cells from the epithelial s&ace, and symptom scores were taken before challenge and at 2-hour intervals during 12 hours. The cell suspensions were cytocentrtfuged onto object slides for light microscopy. Histamine was determined in the cell pellets. In brush samples from the allergic patients challenged with allergen, eosinophils, expressed as a percentage of the total granulocytes, increased from 4.3%-t 2.7% (mean k SEM) to 10.3% k 3.8% (p < 0.05) 4 hours after challenge. This level was maintained for up to 12 hours. A similar increase was noted in the lavage specimens 2, 6, and 8 hours after the challenge. In the brush samples the proportion of eosinophils containing two or more cytoplasmic vacuoles, taken as a sign of activation, increased from 20% to 72% (p < 0.05) 8 hours after provocation. In brush samples from the allergic patients challenged with allergen, the numbers of metachromatic cells increased to a maximum of eightfold at 10 hours. In the lavage specimens, no metachromatic cells were observed before provocation, but they progressively increased in number 2 to 12 hours after provocation. Cell pellet histamine content decreased temporarily 2 to 4 hours after challenge (p < 0.05) in brush samples from allergen-challenged allergic patients. The local metachromatic cell density before challenge, as reflected in the brush specimens, correlated with nasal congestion, sneezing, and the degree of eosinophilia.
Serum levels of eosinophil cationic protein in allergic diseases and natural allergen exposure
Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 1996
Background: Eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) is a cytotoxic preformed mediator stored in eosinophil granules and released under various in vitro and in vivo conditions. Objective: This study was carried out to evaluate the clinical value of ECP as a marker of allergic inflammation. Methods: ECP was measured by a competitive radioimmunoassay in serum samples from 265 patients and 45 matched control subjects and related to the type of allergic disease (asthma, rhinitis, conjunctivitis) and to the type of allergic sensitization. Results: All the patient groups studied showed significantly higher levels of serum ECP than control groups (p < 0.001). The type of sensitization was shown to be the only variable influencing ECP serum levels. In fact, subjects sensitized to perennial allergens had significantly higher ECP values than subjects with seasonal allergy (p < 0.001), whereas in patients with seasonal allergy ECP levels were significantly increased only during the pollen season. Differences in ECP values between various allergic diseases or age groups were only due to a nonhomogeneous distribution of the type of sensitization or to time of sera collection. Conclusions: Results obtained indicate that persistent natural exposure to a sensitizing allergen is responsible for a measurable increase in serum ECP levels in patients with allergy.
The Journal of allergy and clinical immunology, 2015
Eosinophils accumulate at the site of allergic inflammation and are critical effector cells in allergic diseases. Recent studies have also suggested a role for eosinophils in the resolution of inflammation. To determine the role of eosinophils in the resolution phase of the response to repeated allergen challenge. Eosinophil-deficient (PHIL) and wild-type (WT) littermates were sensitized and challenged to ovalbumin (OVA) 7 or 11 times. Airway inflammation, airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) to inhaled methacholine, bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) cytokine levels, and lung histology were monitored. Intracellular cytokine levels in BAL leukocytes were analyzed by flow cytometry. Groups of OVA-sensitized PHIL mice received bone marrow from WT or IL-10(-/-) donors 30 days before the OVA challenge. PHIL and WT mice developed similar levels of AHR and numbers of leukocytes and cytokine levels in BAL fluid after OVA sensitization and 7 airway challenges; no eosinophils were detected in the PHIL...
Clinical <html_ent glyph="@amp;" ascii="&"/> Experimental Allergy, 2000
Background Asthma and rhinitis often co-exist and there are data to suggest that they may be two ends of the same disease spectrum. Immunohistochemical studies have shown that eosinophilia in the airways is a feature of rhinitic patients without asthma. Objective The aim of our study was to examine whether cellular in®ltration exists in the nasal mucosa of asthmatics even in the absence of symptoms and signs of rhinitis. Methods Nasal mucosa biopsies were taken from 27 non-atopic subjects and comprised nine asthmatic rhinitic patients (AR), eight asthmatic non-rhinitic patients (ANR) and 10 healthy control subjects (N). Bronchial mucosa biopsies were also taken simultaneously from some of the patients (n 10) to determine whether there was an association between cellular in®ltration in the nose and the lungs. The alkaline phosphatase-anti-alkaline phosphatase (APAAP) method was used on 6 mm thick cryostat sections using monoclonal antibodies against T cells (CD4, CD8), eosinophils (EG2) and mast cells (mast cell tryptase). Slides were counted blind and results expressed as cells per ®eld. Results The results showed that eosinophil counts were higher in both asthma groups compared with control nasal biopsies (median values AR 8.3, ANR 9.2, N 2.1 cells per ®eld, P < 0.01). Furthermore, there was a signi®cant correlation between eosinophil cell counts in the nose and the airways (r 0.851 P < 0.001). No differences in eosinophil numbers were detected between the two groups of asthmatics. Also, no differences were noted for any other cell type (i.e. CD4, CD8, tryptase) among the three study groups. Conclusions These results show that eosinophil in®ltration was present in the nasal mucosa of asthmatic patients even in the absence of rhinitis, and add further support to the hypothesis that asthma and rhinitis are clinical expressions of the same disease entity.
European Respiratory Journal, 1993
We wanted to determine whether changes in bronchial hyperresponsiveness (BHR) following allergen challenge show a time relationship with inflammatory events in the airways of allergic asthmatic subjects. Lavage was performed and endobronchial biopsies were taken via the fiberoptic bronchoscope, before, and 3 and 24 h after, allergen challenge, on separate occasions, in nine dual asthmatic responders. The numbers of activated eosinophils, identified by immunohistochemistry, using the monoclonal anti-eosinophil cationic protein antibody, EG2, were significantly increased both at 3 h and at 24 h in the submucosa and bronchial lavage. A significant negative correlation was found between the number of EG2+ cells in the submucosa and in the bronchial lavage 24 h after the allergen challenge (r = -0.70). At 24 h, the amount of eosinophil cationic protein (ECP) was increased in the bronchial lavage. A significant correlation was observed between the amount of ECP at 3 h and the log provocat...